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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22394899">Summer Secrets and Soulmates</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shirbert’s Confusing Courtship [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Anne with an E (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 09:02:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,429</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22394899</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This takes place in between Chapter 4 and 5 of Wedding Fights and Festivities, during the following summer. </p>
<p>Can be read as a stand-alone.</p>
<p>Anne and Gilbert sneak around the summer after returning from their first year at university.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shirbert’s Confusing Courtship [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1611895</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>102</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Summer Secrets and Soulmates</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was summertime in Avonlea, and everyone was returning home from school for the break. Some to help work on their family farms, like Anne and Gilbert, and some to fend off a no doubt endless lineup of potential suitors created by their parents, like Diana. </p>
<p>Anne was excited to see Matthew and Marilla, and even to see Jerry. She had elected to not return home in the spring to focus on her schoolwork, so it had been nearly half a year since she had seen her family. Since she had seen Gilbert.</p>
<p>Gilbert never visited Anne at Queens, but this didn’t worry her. It was by design. Anne knew that due to certain formal courting customs, were they to reveal their courtship, they would never have a moment alone until their nuptials. They wanted to truly get to know one another before having to worry about that, and neither was in a particular rush to marry quite yet. It wasn’t the right time. Not even Diana truly knew about them, though she surely suspected something. Anne had been sneaking letters around for months now. And Anne is not a very discreet person, to say the least.</p>
<p>And so, Anne and Gilbert had sustained their love through long and frequent letters. And letters were nice! They were! But letters were also...boring.</p>
<p>Anne loved chaste poetry and long, romantic paragraphs, but she also craved adventure! Excitement! Even just face to face conversation would be nice at this point. You can only do so much with a metaphor.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Anne was sitting at the kitchen table reading a book as Marilla cooked when Gilbert stopped in to say hello. Although her heart was racing just from the sight of her beloved, hair windswept and eyes bright, Anne kept her face impassive and her demeanor cold. She barely looked up from her book.</p>
<p>Marilla was much more enthusiastic, rushing up to him and grabbing his face before pulling him in for a big hug. </p>
<p>“Anne! It’s Gilbert Blythe! Don’t you want to say hello?” Marilla threw her an insistent, impatient look over her shoulder, unimpressed by Anne’s lackluster response.</p>
<p>Anne rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically, really playing up her distaste for Marilla’s sake. This proved to be a little too effective, as Marilla gasped and scolded her, “Anne Shirley!”</p>
<p>“What? What am I supposed to be so excited about?” Anne stood up, throwing her arms in the air. “Oh right, Gilbert Blythe, town golden-boy, is home from the war! Oh, wait. It’s home from university, just like everyone else!” Anne yelled.</p>
<p>“Anne!” Marilla yelled again, shocked at her behavior.</p>
<p>“It’s quite alright, Marilla,” Gilbert smiled placidly. “I seem to have caught you at a bad time. I’ll come again later. See you, Anne,” Gilbert waved, leaving quietly.</p>
<p>“Anne Shirley-“ Marilla started, but Anne interrupted her, letting out a loud breath. </p>
<p>“I know, I know. I was rude. That Gilbert Blythe just gets me so fired up! I’ll apologize to him next time he comes over.” Anne actually did feel a little bad; she hadn’t intended to lay it on quite so thick. At least now she could be sure Marilla didn’t suspect anything between them, though.</p>
<p>“No, you’ll apologize tonight! You, young lady, are going to... bake him a pie and take it over to him and Sebastian after dinner! And I don’t want to hear another word out of you on the matter. It’s final.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>This was actually perfect. Marilla had unknowingly just given Anne the perfect excuse to see Gilbert again without having to reveal that she actually wanted to desperately.</p>
<p>Anne smiled and sang under her breath as she skipped up to the Blythe’s front door, knocking perkily with a large grin overtaking her face.</p>
<p>It was Gilbert who answered, a smile paralleling her own in size on his face. He quickly changed it into a teasing scowl. “What are you doing here? Sure it’s not too much of a trouble to be around the golden boy of Avonlea?”</p>
<p>“I brought you and Sebastian a pie to apologize for my behavior this afternoon. It was completely uncalled for. I’m very, very sorry.” Anne looked up at him from under her eyelashes playfully. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”</p>
<p>Gilbert stepped aside, holding the door open for Anne as she passed into his house. “I accept. Though, I’m sorry to say that Bash won’t be here to enjoy your dessert. He and his mother took Delphine away this weekend to visit Mary’s family.” </p>
<p>Anne set the pie down and whirled around. “They aren’t here?”</p>
<p>Gilbert smiled, shaking his head.</p>
<p>“Is anyone?”</p>
<p>He shook his head again.</p>
<p>“I...”</p>
<p>“Do you want to come see some of my new medical textbooks? They’re quite fascinating.” Gilbert smiled at her, eyes bright and welcoming.</p>
<p>“Oh, sure!” Anne was a little confused about why he wanted to do schoolwork when they’re seeing each other for basically the first time in months, but she wasn’t complaining. Medicine was fascinating, after all. </p>
<p>Gilbert led her to his bedroom, and Anne plopped down on the edge of his bed, swinging her feet as she waited for him to retrieve his books. </p>
<p>Instead, Gilbert took a seat next to her, sitting awfully close. Anne felt her skin hum at his proximity. “Aren’t you going to get your books?”</p>
<p>He looked at her, eyes dark and penetrating, holding her prisoner in his gaze before leaning forward and capturing her lips, too. </p>
<p>Gilbert wasted no time, starting the kiss fast and hard, eager, taking her face into his hand to press her even closer to him.</p>
<p>Anne felt dizzied by their sudden intimacy, reminded by his voracity of their night in the woods before Ruby’s wedding. </p>
<p>Gilbert nipped her bottom lip, sending a zing of pleasure straight through her body, and Anne gasped out, clenching his shoulder in her fist as she worked to keep up with his rough mannerisms and intensity. </p>
<p>She blearily thought of crossing her legs to relieve some of the building arousal she was feeling, but he was pressed so tight against her in their seated position that it simply wasn’t convenient. </p>
<p>Then Gilbert was leaning her back, pressing her slowly into his bed as he continued kissing her, his hands now roaming freely over her body, occasionally even grazing her breasts in brief, electric touches.</p>
<p>In pressing his body halfway on top of hers, he nudged her side with his hardness. It was only a fleeting touch, clearly unintentional, but it made Anne want to open her legs around his hips and grind into him as they embraced. It was a wanton thought, one that made her feel deliciously breathless. Her inhibitions were going straight out the window, and Anne couldn’t say she minded.</p>
<p>When he removed his lips from hers and began pressing soft, open mouthed kisses down her neck and around her collarbone, reverently rubbing her sides with his large, strong hands, Anne was frozen in her daze, just taking in all of the new, overwhelming sensations. </p>
<p>Gilbert, in response to her now frozen, less fluid form, leaned away, looking into her eyes with a furrowed brow. Whatever he saw there must’ve bothered him, as he pulled away completely, sitting up and adjusting his clothes. </p>
<p>Anne sat up after him, still a little dazed from their heated embrace. “Gilbert? Are you okay?”</p>
<p>He cleared his throat, looking straight ahead as he responded, “No, I’m so sorry, Anne. I was taking liberties with you, and it was entirely disrespectful. I shouldn’t have been forcing myself on you in such an aggressive manner, I know that. You just looked so- no, there’s no excuse. I can only hope you’ll accept my apologies.” He finally looked at her, his expression earnest and sorrowful.</p>
<p>Anne was completely dumbfounded. At no point had she felt forced at all; it was completely preposterous for Gilbert to even suggest that. She stuttered for a moment, still trying to find the right words in her punch-drunk state, finally settling on, “You have nothing to be sorry for! I’m completely fine.” </p>
<p>“I’m fine,” she insisted again, leaning in to kiss him. </p>
<p>Gilbert turned his face away, saying in a resigned tone, “I think you’d better get going, Marilla will wonder where you are.”</p>
<p>Anne felt her heart break at his subtle rejection, tears springing for her eyes as she nodded and quickly fled from his house. Of course Anne knew that he was refusing to kiss her because of his own insecurities, but for some reason it still hurt the same.</p>
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